Sierra 8mm GameKing vs. elk

[olympian]

Does anyone out there have any experience with the Sierra 8mm GameKings on elk?

 

[jonbearman]

What caliber are you shooting.

 

[PJGunner]

Good question. Which 8MM? ??? The only game King bullet I use is the 150 gr. .270 bullet in my .270 Win. I've only used it on der and antelope and so far have not recovered a single one. The bullet is extremely accurate in three different .270 rifles.
I think the 8MM GK should be just fine in an 8x57 MM Mauser chambered rifle. As to how well it would hold together in an 8MM Rem. mag. might be another story though. Only shooting and testing will give any kind of answer. Accurcy would be great and I'd bet money on that. How it might hold together are the higher velocity of a magnum is something I don't know.
Paul B.

 

[olympian]

I would like to get information about using the 220 SGK in an 8mm Rem Mag. Having never used a GameKing, I have no experience with any other in terms on performance on game. The options for 8mm hunting bullets is far from impressive and there is a huge difference between an 8x57mm and the Rem Mag.

 

[garytex]

My brother and I put about 3000 rounds through a pair of bone stock Rem 700s 8 mags back in the '80s, till we absolutely shot the barrels out. We shot everything with them, turtles, rabbits, pest birds, javelinas, hogs, rocks, dirt clods, tufts of grass... bang bang bang. Of the larger game, we shot mostly Whitetail and Mule deer with them, mostly with the Hornady 220. Unless they were running, every deer we shot with that bullet fell down right there, usually stone dead, which was important to us, as we sometimes hunted on cleared fencelines, which were also property lines, and it is considered exceedingly bad form to ask a neighbor to enter to trail a wounded deer in South Texas.
We had a hard time getting the 220gr Sierra to shoot, and it was softer than the 22O gr Hornady so we didn't shoot it much, I think about 100 rounds. Only elk shot was with the 220 Hornady, a snap shot at a raghorn elk as it jumped into a clearing about ten feet wide and out. Elk was hit at about 175 yds broadside in the ham and pelvis. This was the only non-exit game shot made with this bullet out of maybe 50 deer sized animals shot. Elk was at a run downhill and made 35 yards and piled up. Blood trail looked like a coke can full of blood sloshed out every 5 yds or so. Pelvis was literally powdered. We decided that the 220 Hornady was a sure enough elk bullet.
Both rifles liked a case full of H4831, Fed 215 primers, and shot right at 2950 fs.
If you have an 8 mag, and like to play with it, the 150 grain bullets designed for 8 Mauser do spectacular things when loaded to 3650 fs, and make a great round for head shot cropping, or shooting at Nebraska whitetails barreling across a disked field 400 yards away. My brother killed several that way. He is a great game shot.
Anyway if you feel that I am damning the Sierra with faint praise, I guess you are right, we didn't like it. We wanted a bullet that would expand enough to generate shock, but then pass through and leave a blood trail, and the Hornady was it. The Hornady would also shoot into less than 1/2" repeatably and dependably out of both guns with the same load, which was pretty stunning to us for the times. It would also shoot clean through a quakie (aspen tree) bigger around than you could reach. Shot into a weak sandstone or limestone wall it would sometimes blow a ripping stonedust smoke ring back out 10 or 20 feet. How cool is that if you are 25 years old and have the shoot-em-ups.

Have fun with your 8 mag, it is a great cartridge, we had a blast with ours. We were good with them because we shot them a lot. That, I think, was important, because they kick. To shoot the 8 mag well takes more practice than a .270, and bullet placement is more important than a couple thousand extra foot pounds. Put good placement with that power, and the 8 mag can be a real stunner.
We shoot a lot of .300 Win now, it's just not the same, kind of like comparing a 22-250 to a Swift.

 

[jthyttin]

I'd go for Nosler Partition 200gr or Woodleigh 325WSM 200/220gr.

Woodleighs are rated up to 2900fps impact velocity, which seems adequate looking at 8mm Rem Mag reloading data. Partition is claimed to have no upper limit, but I'd keep it under 3000fps anyway.

 

[FryeGuy]

I have used gamekings since I started reloading 15yrs ago. I have never used the 8mm size, but everything under that. I think they are a great hunting bullet. everything from elk to small game. I really like the .30 165hpbt. it is wicked. I also haven't had problems with them for accuracy, I have had excellent accuracy. I have heard some folks say the core seperates from the jacket, etc. If I ever recover bullets, I have yet to have had this problem. I think you should try them, find the one that shoots the best and use it w/o hesitation or worry.

 

[whiskey08]

i love the game kings, as accurate and consistent as the match kings and they match the trajectory of my 175mk's. Ive used .308 180 gk on oryx. Everyone kept telling me to use at least a .300 win mag. Bullet blasted thru both shoulders, oryx went 25yrds and dropped.

 

[garytex]

Oops, sorry for recommending a bullet no longer available. Hornady does not make the 220 gr interlock any more, what a shame. Next choice would be a triple shock I guess.